Local farmer Michael Fortunaso is on the cusp on having his Upper Chichester property certified organic.
The former military recruit said it has taken nearly two years to have 30 acres of the family property certified.
“An audit will be carried out in less than two weeks time and we should be A-grade certified,”Michael said.
“The property has been in the family for 23 years and two years ago I began leasing 30 acres.
“I initially set up an orchard and found apples, plums and citrus were the most successful.
“I did try apricots and peaches but with only moderate success due to the weather.
“We had a really wet winter which made a lot of them rot and I must say also a lack of experience on my part also contributed to the lack of success.”
Michael was in the military for seven years.
“I enjoy the bush, that’s why I joined,” he said.
“But I got to a part in my life where I had to make a decision.
“I could stay in the military and make a career of it and or make the change and come to the country.
“So I saved and planned and two years ago started farming.”
To be certified organic Michael had to prove he could build soil carbon and soil fertility through natural means and not use chemical pesticides.
“A section of land around the creek has been rehabilitated and planted with natural species of plants,” he said.
“I also use organic seeds and products.
“I was lucky the property use to run beef and was not next to one that had broad acre spraying – like a cotton farm.
“I also have a few organic beef cattle which I directly sell to the Newcastle Farmers Market at Broadmeadow.
“My plan is to gradually increase the herd and once the orchard gets big enough, get some sheep and produce organic lamb.”
Since starting in 2008 Michael and wife Kora have planted 2000 trees which include apples, pears, nashies, mixed citrus and plums.
They originally started planting vegetables between the rows of trees but are now working on building up to 100 beds on another section of the farm.
Over the years they have been trialing a number of vegetables and have found success with zucchini, beans, cucumbers, sweet corn, tomatoes, egg plants and on a smaller scale a few different types of lettuce including cos, iceberg and some fancy varieties.
“Our biggest problem is the wet winters but now with our raised beds, it should be a lot better.”
Michael sells his produce to a number of organic distributors in Newcastle as well as in Sydney.
There are also a few small shops who stock his produce.
“The demand for organic produce is growing and most shops want to buy local products.
“It has been hard work and a lot of trial and error.
“A lot of stuff you can’t learn from books and the DPI (Department of Primary Industry) but we’re getting better as time goes on.
“We are nowhere near the capacity we want to be but there is a clear path of where we want to go.”
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